There seems to be two Col. George E. Grays. The George E. Gray who worked for the Associates in the 1860's was appointed Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific RAILROAD after its acquisition by the Associates. This George E. Gray died in 1885 and Charles Crocker accompanied the body to Syracuse, New York. William Hood was appointed to take his place with the SPRR at $2,000 less per annum. After the formation of the Southern Pacific COMPANY as a holding company of many railroads Hood became Chief Engineer of them all.

Thank you for your reply. As far as I know there is only one Col. George E. Gray associated with the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroad. According to every record I have read, including an obituary posted in an Oakland newspaper, he lived to be age 94, died in Berkeley, California on Jan. 1, 1913. He had two unwed children, George Vernon Gray and Anna (or Alice) Gray, who lived with him on Magnolia St, Berkeley. Col. Gray was born in Verona, NY, and was married to Lucinda Corning of Syracuse, NY, a niece of Erastus Corning of the New York Central RR. Col. Gray's San Francisco home was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and thus he moved to Berkeley.

Col. George E. Gray was listed as a trustee of Stanford University from its founding until at least 1904. I have seen documents confirming this. He was in Leland Stanford's "inner circle" and also accompanied Stanford to the Golden Spike ceremony.

I would be very interested in learning the source of your information in which you state that he died in 1885 and his body was accompanied back to Syracuse, NY by Charles Crocker. I have personally visited the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, NY and I found that Col. Gray's wife is interred there with her parents and her siblings.

Could you be referring to John Spencer Corning, who was also employed by the Central Pacific RR and was a nephew of Erastus Corning. He was interred at Oakwood Cemetery next to his wife, Lovina, and his sister, Lucinda. Corning, CA was named in honor of John Corning after his death.

George Edward Gray, engineer, and for many years Vice President and Director of the Wells-Fargo Express Co., died Wednesday in his 96th year at his home at Rome, New York. After several years as Resident Engineer of the New York State Canals, Mr. Gray became Chief Engineer of the New York Central Railroad in 1853. He remained 12 years in that position and then became Consulting Engineer of the Central Pacific and the Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific Railroad, supervising the construction of most of the rails laid by that company between 1871 and 1885."

George E. Gray was born in Verona, New York, on September 12, 1818. His parents were Joel and Betsey Resseguie Gray.

Gray remained employed with the Central Pacific until 1871, when he was appointed chief engineer of the Southern Pacific railroad of California. Gray held that position with the Southern Pacific Railroad for fourteen years (1885) and built railroads in Arizona and New Mexico. He also directed the location and construction of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio railroad from El Paso to San Antonio, Texas. Gray resigned from the Central Pacific in 1885 when he learned that it was going to be leased to the Southern Pacific Company. He died on Jan. 1, 1913, thus he would have been 94 years of age.

According to another obituary I read published in California, he died at his home on 2945 Magnolia Street in Berkeley.

I had not known or read that he was a VP and director of Wells Fargo. That could be possible.

In any event, I hope that the death certificate I receive in a few days will reveal in which cemetery he was interred. If he was interred in New York, I would have guessed it would have been with his wife, Lucinda, at Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, but that is not the case.

I scanned the California death index, and indeed, there was a George E. Gray that died in Alameda Co. on Jan. 1, 1913. The death index does not show a date of birth, so I cannot specifically know who he was.

Incidently, the 1910 Federal Census shows George E. Gray, age 91, born in New York, father born in Connecticut, mother born in New York. He is a widowed white male. He is living with Anna S. Gray, age 45, George V. Gray, age 42, and Rose V. Gregory, age 21.

This family group was living, in 1910 in Berkeley, Alameda County, California.

All of which begs the question: Who was the New York Times writing of, on Jan. 3, 1913, when they printed the obituary of Mr. George Edward Gray, living in Rome, New York, and retired from the CPRR and SPRR? Perhaps a mystery we will never know.

The George E. Gray, born Sept. 12, 1818, Northampton, New York, had two wives, the first Adaline Goodwin. He married this woman on March 29, 1843, and then Lucinda Susanna Corning – married her on Feb. 25, 1857; this gleaned from New York marriage records.

From: "Garrett Hermanson" garyherm@nycap.rr.comSubject: Search for Col. George E. Gray is over

I just received the death certificate of Col. Gray this morning. It said he died on Jan. 1, 1913 and was cremated on Jan. 3 at the California Electric Crematory in Berkeley. His age at time of death was 94. He did live on Magnolia Street in Berkeley at the time of his death. His son George Vernon Gray handled the funeral arrangements and signed the death certificate.

If you need any more information about his family or life, please let me know.

c. Gray, Col. George E. Funeral services 1-4-1913, pg 4 col2: It reads: Rites for Colonel Gray.Body of Berkely Engineer Will be Shipped East for Burial. Berkeley – Jan. 3. The funeral of Colonel George E. Gray, former chief engineer of the New York Central and of the Southern Pacific railroad, was held this morning fom his home, 2945 Magnolia street. The services were simple, being conducted by Rev. F. H. Church of the Episcopal cathedral, San Francisco. The body will be shipped east for interment at Verona, N.Y. Colonel Gray's birthplace.

Berkeley - Jan. 2 - At the age of 95, Colonel George Edward Gray died last evening at his residence at 2945 Magnolia street. He was one of the most important factors in early railroad history in the state. Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at the residence. Rev. F. H. Church, pastor of the Episcopal Cathedral, will officiate. Private interment will follow.

Colonel Gray was a native of Verona, N.Y., and a graduate of a New York college. He was among the engineers in charge of the Erie canal work and late in the employ of the New York Central railroad. Colonel Collis P. Huntington, attracted by his work, engaged him to come to California in 1865 to look after the Huntington railroad interests. As engineer of the Central Pacific Company he constructed that line to the Tehachapi Pass as well as several branch lines.

After a long life of usefulness Colonel Gray retired from active service three years ago and moved to Berkeley, where he purchased a home.

He was appointed one of the first trustees of Stanford University by Leland Stanford and held that position for several years.

He was a member of the British Institute of Engineering. He was an honorary life member of the Pacific Union club.

Among the other engineering works that Colonel Gray aided in constructing was the Mohawk Canal in New York state. Before coming to California he was connected with several different railroads in the East.

He is survived by a son, George Vernon Gray and a daughter, Miss Alice Spencer Gray.

Thank you for the excellent summary of your research. The obituary has some errors that I believe are corrected in the following biography:

GRAY, GEORGE EDWARD, born Sept. 12, 1818, at Verona, Onelda Co., N. Y.; educated in the common schools and under private tutor. Honorary Member of American Society of Civil Engineers. Life Member of The Institute of Civil Engineers, London, England. ... He commenced his engineering career on the Black River canal of New York In 1839. From 1850 to 1853 he was Assistant Engineer on the New York State canals. During his early years Mr. Gray held the positions of Assistant Engineer on the construction of the New York and Harlem R, R. from White Plains to Dover Plains, on the Utica and Schenectady R. R., and on the Mohawk Valley R. R. From May, 1853, to May, 1865, he was Chief Engineer of the New York Central R. R. and has also been Chief Engineer of the Albany bridge; Consulting Engineer of the Central Pacific R. R. of California ; Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific R. R. of California, Arizona and New Mexico, and of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio R. R. to El Paso, Texas. He is now a consulting engineer at San Francisco, Cal.

[Source: SUPPLEMENT TO THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE State Engineer and Surveyor OF THE STATE OF NEW. YORK For the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1905

"Could you be referring to John Spencer Corning, who was also employed by the Central Pacific RR and was a nephew of Erastus Corning. He was interred at Oakwood Cemetery next to his wife, Lovina, and his sister, Lucinda. Corning, CA was named in honor of John Corning after his death."

John and Lovina are my ggg uncle and aunt. Could you tell me in what city Oakwood Cemetery is located and any other info or direction that could help me search them furhter?

Yes, I was referring to John Spencer Corning, the nephew of Erastus Corning, Sr. of Albany, NY. Oakwood Cemetery is in Syracuse, NY and John Spencer is interred there with his parents, the Rev. Richard Spencer Corning, and other siblings. Lucinda Corning was interred there also. She was the wife of Col. George E. Gray, the consulting engineer of the Central Pacific RR and the designer of the Albany (railroad) bridge, which crosses the Hudson River and is still used by Amtrack. Col. Gray was also one of the first trustees of Stanford University appointed by Leland Stanford. Most of my research on John Spencer Corning I obtained from the Syracuse Historical Society. If you need an address I can get it for you. They were very helpful. They have many newspaper articles about the Rev. Richard Corning family.

John Spencer Corning (1826-1878)John S. Corning was born in Otisco, New York. His father Richard S. Corning (1800 -1852) was a clergyman and a brother of Erastus Corning, Sr. John began his railroading career at the age of thirty-two working on the Michigan Central Railroad. Three years later, he was hired by his uncle Erastus to work for the New York Central where he became an assistant superintendent within a short period. During the summer of 1868, John Corning was hired as an assistant superintendent of the Central Pacific and was assigned to work in Nevada and Utah. During his employment with the CP in Nevada, John Corning was suffering from a painful spinal injury. In August, Charlie Crocker wrote to Collis Huntington: "Every time he [John S. Corning] exerts himself by going over the road, the jar of the cars & excitement of business affects his spine & he is threatened with paralysis. He has been laid up several times since he came here & is now away at San Francisco resting in order to recover." In a letter written to his Uncle Erastus in Albany on October 9, John Corning praised the quality of the axels sent by his uncle's company "none of yours that are in any way defective." After John Corning recovered, he built the first railroad to the area of Riceville, California, which was completed in late 1878. As the new rail line was nearing completion, Corning died on November 17, 1878, at the age of fifty-two. His funeral was held at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. Corning's wife, Lovina, accompanied his body back to New York for interment at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse. Several years after John Corning's death, the new town that grew around the railroad depot was named Corning in his honor. The Cornings were married for twenty-five years, but had no children. The above was extracted from my upcoming book, Remembering Leland Stanford (copyright).

If you have any additional questions about Col. George Edward Gray and his wife, Lucinda, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks so much Garrett for the information. My involvement to Corning is through the bloodline of his wife Lovina. I knew she attached herself to someone with a rich history as I have a copy of her will and her passport applications always state her occupation as "widow with means". It is a great thing that she and John were buried in Syracuse and not Alameda or San Francisco. I am hoping to come to Oswego and Onondaga Counties this summer to research and snap headstone photos and these guys will be right in the area too.....I come from Columbus, Ohio.

Hopefully I can find some meaty obituaries in either CA or NY newspapers.

By the way, I have not seen much on Lovina online so for documentation I will add this for Google searchers:

Lovina Terpenny born 28 MAR 1843 in Cicero, Onondaga, NY to James Terpenny and Sophia Schryver. 1850 Census puts her in Cicero, NY and I havn't found her in the 1860, 1870 or 1880 census yet. She has several passport applications available on Ancestry.com. The 1874 application has her living in Essex Co., NJ and married at that time. The 1889 and 1895 applications has her widowed and living in San Francisco. The 1905 has her in Alameda, CA. The 1896 and 1898 applications were emergency applications filed first in Constantinople and second in Geneva. The 1900 census and her will has her living in Alameda, CA.

"Flavius B. Clement (1827 - 1864), was a California pioneer who worked for the CPRR's engineering department. Sadly on January 16, 1864 a train of three flat cars pushed by the locomotive "Gov. Stanford" and carrying an excursion party derailed on the curve at 6th between G and H streets in Sacramento. Several passengers were injured. The only fatality was Clement, who was thrown from the cars. If not the CPRR's first fatality, he was certainly one of the first."